US Marine Pilots Transition from Retired Harrier Jets to Advanced F-35B Fighters

Marine F-35 pilots who switched over from the Harrier jump jet have had to unlearn almost everything they know

A Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit prepares to depart the USS Makin Island off the coast of California. Staff Sgt. Michael Virtue/US Marine Corps Marine pilots moving from the newly retired Harrier to the F-35 must unlearn old instincts. The F-35 eases much of the physical work of flying, but gives pilots far more data to manage. Former Harrier pilots say breaking those patterns takes repeated simulator training and practice. The first time a former Ma...